Tax incentives for expats, home renovation grants and easy visas are just some of the ways that overseas governments are trying to attract well-heeled and hard-working expats.
See if your favourite country has a scheme, whether you’re looking for a cheap property or a new adventure in life.
Energetic early-retirees, go-getting ‘digital nomads’, entrepreneurs, investors ready to roll up a sleeve and renovate a property… there are plenty of people in the world that governments are keen to attract. Especially to those areas which the local people are leaving, but which we find rather nice – such as a Sicilian village or Irish island.
So don’t let 90-day rules, visa requirements and other restrictions put you off the dream of relocation abroad. Here we highlight five countries with schemes and incentives to welcome you.
1. Portugal
If you’re under 35 and you’re thinking about moving abroad, Portugal could be the place for you.
In an effort to boost its economy, the Portuguese government is proposing a 10-year income tax break for young adults, including expats.
The initiative comes following a considerable outflow of young Portuguese adults, who are moving abroad to find better-paid jobs in countries like France and Germany.
If the proposal is to go ahead, the tax breaks would apply to all workers under the age of 35, with those earning up to €28,000 a year paying no income tax at all during their first year of work. This is how the tax breaks would work after that:
| Years of work | Earnings exempt from income tax |
| 2-4 | 75% |
| 5-7 | 50% |
| 8-10 | 25% |
Portugal’s Finance Minister, Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, said the initiative is “fundamental” to retaining citizens and attracting young people to Portugal.
From 2008 to 2023, around . However, the country’s population continued to grow thanks to the Golden Visa programme and tax incentives for expats who are wealthy. The new youth tax breaks are planned to replace these initiatives, which are being phased out.
The Golden Visa Scheme gives expats residence permits in exchange for economic investment
2. Italy
Believe it or not, you can buy a house in Italy for just €1! In 2008, the government introduced the €1 home scheme to incentivise people to move to rural towns and villages. The scheme – which offers abandoned houses for a symbolic price of €1 with buyers usually obligated to restore them – is particularly popular with expats.
Currently, there are around two million €1 homes in more than 60 municipalities across the country. Some of the places offering abandoned properties for the bargain price of €1 include Salemi and Mussomeli in Sicily, Ollolai in Sardinia and Patrica in Lazio.
In some areas, there are added incentives for expats, such as tax exemptions and support with all the necessary procedures.
But while the €1 home scheme sounds appealing, potential buyers should be aware of planning permission, notary and restoration costs. Buying a higher-priced property that needs less work may be more cost-effective in the long-run.
3. Ireland
If a movie such as the Banshees of Inisherin or The Outrun (set in the Orkneys) make you pine for a simpler life on an Atlantic Island, there could be good news.
Last year, the Irish government launched a programme to encourage people to relocate to its coastal islands.
The ‘Our Living Islands’ policy aims to ensure that communities can continue to thrive on 30 rural islands that are not connected to the mainland by bridges or causeways and are therefore cut off daily by the tide.
The 10-year scheme, which was introduced in June 2023, is intended to boost the populations of these offshore islands by helping towards renovation costs for empty property. A cash incentive of up to €84,000 is available to pay for renovations.
To qualify for the grant, the property must have been built before 1993 and have been vacant for at least two years. An additional caveat is that the money can only be used for carrying out renovation work or improving the design of the property.
Non-EU nationals with a digital nomad visa can apply for the “Live in Ambroz” programme
4. Spain
Remote workers who are happy to relocate to rural Spain for at least two years can benefit from a grant of up to €15,000.
The “Live in Ambroz” programme is an initiative recently introduced by the government of Extremadura to boost its population by attracting digital nomads to the remote area of the Ambroz Valley in Western Spain. If it is a success, similar initiatives will be rolled out in other parts of Extremadura.
Women, people under 30 and anyone moving to a town with fewer than 5,000 residents are eligible for up to €10,000, while other successful applicants will receive €8,000. Those who stay longer than two years will receive an additional €4,000 to €5,000.
Non-EU nationals wishing to participate in the scheme must hold a digital nomad visa and must not have lived in Extremadura in the past six months.
If you are a digital nomad relocating to a country that has a different currency than your source of income, you will need to work out the best way to exchange and transfer funds. Smart Currency Exchange has a range of solutions that can help you with this, such as the Regular Payment Plan (RPP), which automatically transfers your wage to your local foreign account at a highly competitive exchange rate. With a forward contract, you can also fix an exchange rate for a set number of months.
The municipality and town of Ponga in northwestern Spain is also offering cash incentives to expats. In a bid to boost the local economy, the government is offering individuals €2,970, with couples receiving an additional €2,970 per child they have in Ponga.
You don’t have to buy a house to qualify for the grant; you would just need to live in Ponga for at least five years.
5. Denmark
In Denmark, the term “hygge” is used to describe the feelings of wellbeing, cosiness and contentment you get from taking time out to enjoy simple, everyday experiences like spending time with loved ones.
Now, thanks to a visa scheme called “Startup Denmark”, non-EU/EEA citizens can live the hygge life too.
The programme is aimed at self-employed people with scalable businesses or those who want to open branches in Denmark. Only non-EU/EEA citizens, non-Swiss citizens and Danish citizens are eligible.
To apply, you must submit a business plan and if you are a non-EU/EEA citizen, you will also need apply for a resident and work permit once your business plan is approved. It’s important to note that Startup Denmark does not provide financing, and you will have to prove that you have sufficient funds to cover your first year in the country.
The “Startup Denmark” visa scheme allows self-employed people to live in Denmark
Are you thinking about moving to one of these countries? Download the free How to Emigrate Guide, which has lots of helpful information about relocating to another country.
